Comparison of integrated whole-body [11C]choline PET/MR with PET/CT in patients with prostate cancer

Abstract

Despite a substantially later imaging time-point, the performance of simultaneous PET/MR was comparable to that of PET/CT in detecting lesions with increased [(11)C]choline uptake in patients with prostate cancer. Anatomical allocation of lesions was better with simultaneous PET/MR than with PET/CT, especially in the bone and pelvis. These promising findings suggest that [(11)C]choline PET/MR might have a diagnostic benefit compared to PET/CT in patients with prostate cancer, and now needs to be further evaluated in prospective trials.

Value of 68Ga-PSMA HBED-CC PET for the Assessment of Lymph Node Metastases in Prostate Cancer Patients with Biochemical Recurrence: Comparison with Histopathology After Salvage Lymphadenectomy

“…Furthermore, several studies (using 11 C-choline, 68 Ga-DOTATOC, or 18 F-FDG) have shown that PET datasets acquired by PET/MR and PET/CT are highly comparable (32)(33)(34).…”

Evaluation of Prostate Cancer with PET/MRI

“…Specific reports evaluating PET/MRI for PCa are few. PET/CT and PET/MRI were studied with 11 C-choline in 32 men with primary or biochemically recurrent PCa (38). Lesion detection was comparable for both, but PET/MRI was better at the anatomic allocation of lesions, especially in the bone and pelvis.…”

PET/MRI and PET/CT: is there room for both at the top of the food chain?

“…The remaining 13 publications report some evidence that PET/ MRI is superior to PET/CT for characterizing primary tumours, e.g. primary bone tumours [11][12][13] or oesophageal carcinoma [14], but do not demonstrate significant advantages of whole-body MRI over whole-body PET/CT for N or M staging [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24].…”

“…The remaining 13 publications report some evidence that PET/ MRI is superior to PET/CT for characterizing primary tumours, e.g. primary bone tumours [11][12][13] or oesophageal carcinoma [14], but do not demonstrate significant advantages of whole-body MRI over whole-body PET/CT for N or M staging [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24].The introduction of PET/MRI was heralded as a technological breakthrough, and many expected a subsequent clinical revolution, with the newer modality vying to supersede PET/CT atop the diagnostic food chain just as the Burmese python is supplanting the American alligator in the Florida Everglades. However, none of the above-mentioned papers offers a definitive answer as to whether or not integrated and simultaneous PET/MR imaging is clinically more accurate than sequentially performed whole-body PET/CT and MRI dedicated to one body region registered in retrospect.…”